On the Road Again

Suprise again! This time I'm in Texas, driving with Kasey back to Washington. 

Yesterday, I flew in to Dallas. Kasey and our good friend Dani met me at the airport, and then took me to Sprinkles (as seen on Cupcake Wars!). We then drove back to Waxahachie (home of SAGU, where Kasey goes) and then we went to a cute little local restaurant called The Doves Nest. Both were so tasty! I then helped her load up her car...in the heat. Woof.

We then spent the rest of the night relaxing at the hotel. Swimming, shopping for food, and movie watching summed up our evening.

Today was a short driving day. This morning, we stopped at the Fort Worth Water Gardens, antiqued in Decatur, picnicked at a rest stop, and then celebrated my birthday (yes, today I am 23!) at Cracker Barrel. Lovely. 

Tommorow is a long driving day...ten hours. Wish us good driving!

Love,

Mirannda

 

Fake Mother's Day

Today, after church, we celebrated Mother's Day since we were all together here. We went to the Zoo and ate inside of an aquarium. It was SO HOT...but very fun and nice to celebrate. :)

All of us who were there: Peter and Dawn (my Mother and Father in Law), Alexander (Ian's Brother), Kali and Britney (our ADORABLE neice and her Mother), Keeley and Bryn (her boy toy), and us.

I hope you had a wonderful day too, and Happy Fake Mother's Day!

Love,
Miranda

Travel Time

Surprise!!!! I'm in Arizona!

Ian's family lives here, so we came down to visit for a while. It is gorgeous, and hot, and we are having a wonderful time. We've been spending a lot of much needed time with family, and especially our niece Kali. What a doll face! Today, Keeley and I went on a trip into town to get a pedicure and have some girl time. There are some more adventures planned for the next few days too.

Love,
Miranda

Baking Soda, Lemon Juice, and Vinegar - Oh My!

Two weeks later than I said, a skeptical tech week, six amazing performances, a week of re-cooperation and allergies - and I am back! Did you miss me? Ha.

This last week consisted of me in and out of an allergy induced daze, attempting to clean the apartment but never succeeding. This week: Spring Cleaning.

Ian and I have recently done some extensive research of cleaning supplies in an effort to find affordable, natural, non-chemical formulas. My first thought was to go with already made supplies, such as Method, Green Works, etc. Ian was not willing to trust these products. So we researched cleaning products containing Meluca and Tea Tree oil. This option seemed more likely because it was completely plant based and safe enough to consume. But then, the kicker: both of these (which come from the essential oils of the plants) are toxic to cats. There goes that plan.

So...back to the basics. And by the basics, I mean Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Baking Soda, and Water. That's it - completely all natural, no chemicals, and I could eat it (not that I would ever want to drink that concoction). Today, I cleaned out our cleaning supplies and tossed pretty much everything. I outfitted myself with three spray bottles to fill with 1) Water and two tablespoons of Greenworks dish soap, 2) half water and half vinegar, and 3) vinegar and two tablespoons of lemon juice. These are now my 1) de-greaser, 2) all purpose cleaner, and 3) window wash.

There is only one thing that I'm not a fan of: the smell of the vinegar while I'm cleaning. I'm not going to lie - I love good smelling soaps and cleaners. Anything that doesn't smell like cleaner is my best friend. This is not the case with vinegar. In an attempt to alleviate and naturally overpower the scent, I am conducting an experiment. I'm trying to make my own scented oils to add to the cleaner. I picked cat-friendly tea leaves  and am leaving them to steep in oil for almost two weeks. My hope is that by the end of the two weeks, the oil will be a sort of essential oil substitute that I can dilute and add to the cleaner.

And so that begins our adventure into cleaning with human and cat friendly products. If you are interested in more information, here a a few sites that I found helpful:

Cleaning with Vinegar: http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
Cat's and Essencial Oils: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/essential-knowledge-for-cat-ow-58072
A Good List of Toxic Oils for Cats: http://essentialoilworld.com/essentialoilreviews/pet-health/essential-oil-safety-with-cats

Love,
Miranda

Head's Up

Crown Him 2010

If you have been wondering where I have been these last few days, this is the low down: this year is my third year working with Crown Him, a large scale Easter Production based out of New Life Church in Woodbury, MN.  The first year I was the Intern under the Director, the second year I was in the production, and this year I am the Backstage Manager. I am very much enjoying being apart of this production again - it is a complete joy to be apart of such a touching show. This year it is extremely exciting because the first weekend is almost sold out already!

With all of that being said, I am not going to have any further posts this week due to the fact that this week is dress rehearsal and the show opens this weekend. I'll be back next week with an update and pictures! :)

Picture my Morning

Banana Caramel Chocolate Upside-Down Cake, watching The Chew, and Vala with her nosey nose in everything. I hope your morning is awesome too! :)

Love,
Miranda

Saved from the Junk Pile

While pulling out some other lights that I had in our storage/junk room (which happens to have things left over from all the previous tenants) I found a glass lamp that had lost it's twin, and it's shade. There was a fern etching on one side which I thought was pretty, so I decided to do something special with it.

I've seen the idea of painting the inside of glass objects go around the blog world and Pintrest, and a few of my magazines, so I decided to give it a try with this lamp. I'm sooo pleased with how it turned out - although the whole process tried my patience. First I had to figure out how to take it apart...which it turns out that the cord would not completely remove from the lamp, so I had to wrap it in painter's tape (taking that off was the most tedious task!).  I then poured the paint in and swirled it around for what seemed like forever (which it might have been about thirty minutes...at the most). And then it took two whole days to dry! Whew. Ha.

 I love the color that I chose. If you have read my blog at all, you know that I love Disney...so it is a special little fun fact that the color I chose is called "Pooh's Favorite Things" from the Disney Behr line. It was the perfect color to match my pillows, so naturally I just had to choose it. :) I also found a replacement shade at Target.  It was the perfect size for how big the base of the lamp is. 

It looks so nice next to the desk, and provides the much needed light for this corner. You can't see the etching from far away, but when you are up close it is a nice little surprise detail.  It is pretty sweet to know that I have a completely unique lamp...no one else in the world has one like it! 

Enjoy your officially spring day! :)

Love,

Miranda